Health Law - Free Essay Example

Introduction

In the health care center, service delivery is a critical aspect that influences patients’ satisfaction. As a way of enhancing the satisfaction, it is important for health practitioners to maintain the privacy of patients. According to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability rule (HIPAA), health practitioners have a great role in maintaining the rule by protecting individually identifiable health information (Wilkinson & Reinhardt, 2015). As a healthcare administrator, it is crucial to assess how staff follows the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinic Health Act (HITECH) and HIPAA. Below are survey questions that can be deployed to examine how health practitioners observe patient privacy rules.

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Medical Staff

In this question, patients are given the opportunity to rate how services are delivered by healthcare practitioners. Normally, patients’ satisfaction is integral aspects that impact the recovery rate as it promotes collaboration among the parties involved (Wilkinson & Reinhardt, 2015). As such, patients will rate health practitioners according to how they handled during the treatment and other care services, and the data will assist in introducing new approaches, thus improving patients’ satisfaction.

Collecting Patients’ Information

Currently, the application of technology in healthcare has become a crucial way of improving service delivery. The HITECH Act requires that healthcare practitioners should adopt the use of EHRs as it improving efficiency in service delivery (Wilkinson & Reinhardt, 2015). Additionally, the system improves the protection of patients’ information as only authorized individuals can access. As such, the feeding will assist in maintaining and observing the privacy of patients is an effective aspect that improves the trust and confidence among patients. As such, confidence promotes patients to share essential information with healthcare practitioners, thus improving their services delivery (Hecker & Edwards, 2014). As such, the application of EHRs helps in safeguarding patients’ information, and this assists in improving the quality of care services.

Healthcare Practitioners

Normally, data transmission is a critical aspect that may influence the disclosure of patients’ information. HITECH Act requires that nurses should use an electronic transmission system, which is more effective in data sharing, thus improving the protection of data (Wilkinson & Reinhardt, 2015). The application of electronic transmission systems assist in protecting the privacy and security of patients, and this improves the trust when health practitioners are sharing data. As a way of improving service delivery, data sharing is a crucial approach that assists healthcare practitioners in solving complex issues associated with patients’ needs, and this will assists in solving complicated health issues, thus promoting quality services (Miller, 2017). The question focuses on ethical needs, thus improving the moral principles among patients.

Information Disclosure

Generally, health information is sensitive data that medical staff is required to handle with a lot of care. As a way of enhancing their protections, health practitioners are required to acquire authority from patients before disclosing the data. According to the HIPAA, patients have the right of their data, and hence, health practitioners have no authority to disclose the information without patients’ consent or knowledge (Wilkinson & Reinhardt, 2015). The approach helps in ensuring that patients are accountable for their sensitive information regarding health status. As a technique of enhancing the application of the law, HIPAA requires health practitioners to provide detailed instructions on how they are going to handle the patient’s health data (Wilkinson & Reinhardt, 2015). The approach impact patients to understand that their data is highly protected, thus improving their confidence when sharing information (Miller, 2017). The feedback provided by patients may assist in understanding how to improve data handling, thus maintaining a high standards level in safeguarding privacy.

Security Mindset

Creating a culture that treats patients’ data with a lot of care is a critical aspect of improving their confidence. As such, HIPAA requires that nurses should physically show the patient that they are filing the data electronically (Hecker & Edwards, 2014). Embracing a security mindset ensure nurses conduct all protection activities as the patient witness. The approach helps in strengthening the protection of health information, thus improving the manner in which patients interact with healthcare practitioners.

Easy Access

As a way of understanding the treatment programs, patients are allowed to access their records. The approach helps patients learn ways health practitioners use to protect their data. HIPAA requires patients should be allowed to access their records, and this helps in influencing their treatment programs (Wilkinson & Reinhardt, 2015). Through the feedback from the question, the management can introduce technology systems such as software that give patients direct access to their information. Ethically, every person has the right to access their information, and this improves their confidence when dealing with nurses.

Conclusion

Thus, data security should be more than a checklist. In this case, the nurses should be using the record to improving the quality of service delivery. As such, healthcare practitioners should use the data to improve the value of patients, which is an essential approach to enhancing confidence and trust (Miller, 2017). The feedback may assist health management in teaching staff on how to focus on best practices, thus ensuring patients benefit from fully from the right information (Wilkinson & Reinhardt, 2015). The approach helps in controlling ethical rights violations as the patients’ data determines the treatment program.

References

Hecker, L. L., & Edwards, A. B. (2014). The impact of HIPAA and HITECH: New standards for confidentiality, security, and documentation for marriage and family therapists. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 42(2), 95-113. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01926187.2013.792711?casa_token=FCJgJJO6YQcAAAAA%3APjfmhnV41GxU5FLgMffD4-ojcQGN9tXHOjoR4N7MvdDokWTSoxK4tF4xS7llwEGNw5yDEU7obeJYIqn_&

Miller, A. (2017). An examination of modern challenges in maintaining HIPAA and HITECH compliance. University of North Georgia.
https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1007&context=honors_theses

Wilkinson, T., & Reinhardt, R. (2015). Technology in counselor education: HIPAA and HITECH as best practice. Professional Counselor, 5(3), 407-418.
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1069426.pdf.